Author
Topic: Few general questions on Pluto cooperation with other system (Read 1220 times)

I plan to put some effort in integration between Pluto and Misterhouse, but this problems could apply also for integration with any other SW or HW system.

I guess that a lot of features are available already, but must admit, that maybe we users don't know about them enough. So I'd like to get some guidance/advice on following real problems I'm facing at the moment.

maybe it's best to come up with real problems :

1. I'd like to control volume of MD from other devices (web interface on Misterhouse, keypad or infrared remote in automation system, etc....)...What is proper an easiest way - to create device as volume control and then some scenario to carry settings from that volume device to Xine player or have device sending messages to certain player or any third way ?

2. I'd like to control some other media player from Pluto Orbiter interfaces - for instance I have media player with Misterhouse (that outputs to several different stereo channels on core) being it's parent device. How can I make Pluto to generate room with all needed media scenarios and just send messages to its parent device (I know I could maybe create another 'dummy' MD and mimic its XinePlayer device with Misterhouse - but not quite elegant way) ?

3. I have player on MD with ambient music. In random time intervals I'd like gradually lower volume, pause it, play random/next wav message from certain directory (they are prerecorded) and then gradually increase volume back to normal. Can I make anything similar right now with scenarios ? It would be great learning example what can scenarios do...

4. I have liquid level, air pressure, liquid flow, heat pump, outside pond, brightness, air quality, window/door open/closed ... sensors in my new Pluto setup. At the end, those are just simple devices driven by parent device (Misterhouse, standalone program, etc..). How to properly add them to Pluto system and particularly - how to show them on floorplans ?

I know we're currently in feature freeze and hurry, but it seems important to me to discuss such questions. What I'd like to have is general possibility to add device type to Pluto, specify its category (like security, HVAC), icon, commands/data/events and from here on Pluto recognizes such device same as others. That would trully open Pluto for integration with all kinds of devices that exist nowadays.

Just have that device call the MessageSend utility and send a volume command to the media player. Or send the volume command to media plugin and media plugin will forward it whatever media player is active. MessageSend works on both Linux and Windows.

> 2. I'd like to control some other media player from Pluto Orbiter interfaces

Add the device to your system as a child of whatever will control it. If it's controlled by I/R, add it as a child of the i/r transmitter. The system will automatically add a media scenario to play that device that turns the device on. All commands (volume, pause, play, etc.) will go to that device automatically. If it's controlled via I/R, the i/r code will get sent. If that device implements DCE, meaning it's a separate software program, then it will get the commands directly.

> 3. ambient music

Scenarios have no random command. You could create a perl script or something like that to do it. Then create the scenario in Orbiter that sends an 'Spawn Application' command to the App Server with the file to spawn being the perl script.

> 4. sensors in my pluto setup

Add the devices just like any other devices. If they are within the appropriate category, they should autoamtically appear on the floorplan. Air quality, window/door are already there under security, and appear on the security floorplan. Brightness is already there under lighting. Air pressure can be added to the climate category. I would put liquid flow, heat pump and pon also under the climate category since they are environmental type devices.

Just have that device call the MessageSend utility and send a volume command to the media player. Or send the volume command to media plugin and media plugin will forward it whatever media player is active. MessageSend works on both Linux and Windows.

I guess Media plugin is just another device with its id?Does it have any special logic dealing with such messages (for instance what if more players are active ?

I'm asking this, cause I suspect that it would be more wise to address players through Media Plugin and not directly, cause later some additional logic and message handling could be added to Media plugin - am I right ?

Quote from: "aaron.b"

> 2. I'd like to control some other media player from Pluto Orbiter interfaces

Add the device to your system as a child of whatever will control it. If it's controlled by I/R, add it as a child of the i/r transmitter. The system will automatically add a media scenario to play that device that turns the device on. All commands (volume, pause, play, etc.) will go to that device automatically. If it's controlled via I/R, the i/r code will get sent. If that device implements DCE, meaning it's a separate software program, then it will get the commands directly.

Now I only wonder how to add such device to Pluto - so it gets its own room and needed media scenarios. One workaround I could think of is adding dummy MD to installation, and put that device under its media player ID, but that takes a lot of disc space.

Any better solution currently ?

Quote from: "aaron.b"

> 3. ambient music

Scenarios have no random command. You could create a perl script or something like that to do it. Then create the scenario in Orbiter that sends an 'Spawn Application' command to the App Server with the file to spawn being the perl script.

Great, it looks like sort of plugin, that gets running. So I guess I should shoot audio announcements from that script.

How to end it ? Can I transfer command line parameters from DCE message to that script ?

Any example (out of memory) that could be learned from ?

Quote from: "aaron.b"

> 4. sensors in my pluto setup

Add the devices just like any other devices. If they are within the appropriate category, they should autoamtically appear on the floorplan. Air quality, window/door are already there under security, and appear on the security floorplan. Brightness is already there under lighting. Air pressure can be added to the climate category. I would put liquid flow, heat pump and pon also under the climate category since they are environmental type devices.

What about such way of dealing with icons (it's same in Misterhouse) :- first it looks for specific icon for specific device- then it searches for icon of same type (generic light icon for lightings) or displays some generic icon, so it still gets displayed, and we get warning to deal with graphic later, but device is still shown on floorplan..